PS I Love You
by Pretty.Little.Liars
Summary: Know this: I would marry you yesterday. ---- NakatsuMizuki
1. PS I Love You

**Title:** P.S. I Love You  
**Author:** Ugly.Beautiful  
**Genre:** Romance  
**Rating:** K+ (It's just prolonged NakaMizu fluff. Because I like them best. XP) (But there are a few curse words. Oops.)  
**Pairing:** Nakatsu x Mizuki  
**Spoilers:** Yes, for the entire end of the manga. I don't know how much of it's out in the old U.S. of A, but if you haven't read the whole darn thing, then read no further.  
**Summary:** "Know this: I would marry you yesterday."  
**Word Count:** 1,399  
**Warnings:** This takes place post-manga, though exactly how far after the end of the manga, I'm unsure. The last chapter says three summers have passed since Sano left for America. So, they'd be… 20? Something like that. I think. :confused: So, this is after that. Since Rie was two-months pregnant then, when she got married. Yeah. Or something… In this story, that child is already two-years old. So Mizuki's class are all about 22.

**Disclaimer:** The summery quote belongs to _Music From Another Room_ and Charlie Peters. _Hana-Kimi: For You In Full Blossom_ belongs to Hisaya Nakajo.

* * *

Nakatsu Shuichi sighed heavily as rifled through his mail, tossing all the unwanted envelopes gracelessly onto the counter of his dorm room. Junk. Junk. Bill. Letter from his mother. Junk. Letter from Mizuki. Ju-

He froze suddenly, before a large grin broke out onto his face. Throwing the rest of the mail towards the counter (why did he even _have_ so much mail?) he gleefully tore open Mizuki's letter. As he flopped boneless-ly onto the only couch in the room, he started to read.

_Dear Nakatsu-san,  
__It's so great to hear from you! It's wonderful that you're doing so well on your team, maybe I'll come over and watch you play sometime! I'd love to see you in action, just like the old days back at Osaka!  
__I can't believe Sekime-san and Rie-san's little girl is already two! Doesn't it seem like just yesterday we were all at their wedding? The pictures are just adorable, tell them I think so, will you?  
__Which reminds me, when are you going to get yourself a girlfriend, Nakatsu-san? I'd like to see you all dressed up at your own wedding. You'd be a great dad, I think. With really cute kids!_

Shuichi snorted at this. Him? A good father? He'd probably be a horrible influence. But Mizuki, now she'd be a great parent, a great mother. He smiled just thinking about it.

_And… no, we haven't set a date for the wedding yet. I know it's been two years since Izumi proposed and all, but… I don't know. He's so busy with his high-jumping, he doesn't really have time for anything else. I hardly see him as it is, I don't even want to think about having to plan a wedding by myself. But, I guess I can't be mad at him. He's pursuing his dream. So I should just be happy for him, right? Even if it is a long time to wait._

He frowned. Really? Two years later and still no date set?

_Anyway, that's enough complaining from me! Everything is going great anyway! I'm going to graduate in this Spring, so maybe I'll come visit you then! It's only… four months away! What do you think? Think that would be okay? I'm sure my parents would be okay with it, as a graduation present._

He felt the smile tugging at his lips turn into a full-blown grin. Mizuki, come visit him here? That would be _awesome_! And maybe Sano would still be practicing. He seemed really into it, if what Mizuki was saying was true. And then he'd have her all to himself.

_Well, I hope to hear from you soon, Nakatsu-san, and I hope you all won that game you were talking about before!  
__With love,  
__Mizuki_

Shuichi read the letter twice before he sat it on the coffee table and running a hand over his face. They _still_ didn't have a wedding date? That was… certainly odd. Sekime and Rie and known each other for less time than those two and they were happily married with a two-year-old bouncing, baby, girl.

And it's not like he didn't think Sano and Mizuki didn't love each other. He could _tell_ they were in love with each other. Hell, _everyone_ could tell they were in love with each other. So he, like everyone else, was wondering what the damn hold up was. High School, collage. Frick, Sano had moved across and entire _ocean_ to go to school with her. So why the hell weren't they married yet?!

Another sigh, and his eyes trailed to the pictures hanging on the wall over his couch. Pictures of his family, his hometown, the team at Osaka, Taiki. Then pictures with Mizuki. Working at Umeda Rio's bed-and-breakfast, the beauty pageant.

Ugh. He covered his face with his hands. That was the reason he didn't have a girlfriend, that was the reason he wasn't anywhere _near_ getting married or having kids. He was still totally in love with her. He'd thought, back when she had left Osaka, that his feelings would fade, especially after Sano went off after her a year later. But when he met her again at Sekime's wedding, all those feelings came rushing back and he realized they'd never go away. He'd wind up like Umeda-sensei, all angry and emo, in love with someone who would never love him back. Fan-bloody-tastic.

Heaving himself to his feet, he shuffled towards the kitchen, ransacking through draws until he found a clean sheet of paper and a pen. Leaning against the counter he started to write Mizuki back.

_Dear Mizuki,  
__First of all, can't you call me Shuichi, now? We've known each other for, what five, six years? I think that counts as us being pretty good friends, right?  
__Yeah, I'll tell them you like the pictures. You can go visit all of them if you come out and visit me this summer! We'll make a big day of it. Sounds like fun, right? Maybe Taiki and Nakao-chan and Noe can all come, too. Is Sano going to come out with you? He seems busy training, doesn't he?_

He paused, trying to think of how he felt about what Sano was doing into words.

_And Mizuki, I think you do have a right to be angry at him. I mean, making you wait two years to even set a wedding date? That's not right, you know? If I were engaged to you, I would have married you a long time ago, before someone else comes along and gets you. I mean, Sekime was still in school when he and Rie-san got married. He was still in school when she got pregnant, too. So, I don't really see what's stopping Sano from marrying you now. Especially since you're graduating so soon._

He read that paragraph over twice. Yeah, he supposed that was how he felt.

_And on that note, congratulations on your upcoming graduation! I wish I could go to America and be there for you on your big day, but we're having matches all summer, so… Sorry. But it would be fantastic if you could come out here. You could probably stay with Sekime and Rie-san. Or maybe Nakao.  
And yes! We did win that match! Three-to-one! It was awesome, I wish you could have seen it!  
__Hope to hear from you soon about you coming back to Japan!_

Another pause.

_And Mizuki… I really do think Sano has waited too long, more than he should. If I were him… Well, know this: I would marry you yesterday if I could.  
-Shuichi_

He stopped, the tip of his pen paused an inch above the paper, before setting it down to write one more thing.

_P.S. I love you._

* * *

**A/N:** Yeah, I got this idea after 1. I re-watched the beginning of _Music From Another Room_ and 2. Saw a preview for _P.S. I Love You._ I haven't seen the movie yet (though I dearly want to, since Gerard Butler is smoking hott), but I do get Goosebumps whenever I hear the clip from the preview of him saying "P.S. I love you." Gives me chills. Makes me sad, cause I don't have someone like that. :tears: (Actually, has anyone scene that movie? If you have, I'd love to know if it was any good.)

Also, this is only gonna be a few chapters long. From Nakatsu's POV(ish). I do this because I dearly love Nakatsu. He's three-way-tied for my favorite. (The other two being Umeda and Nanba.

And yes, I am aware the timeline is probably somewhat skewed, but, well… oh, well. Lol.

Reviews are love!


	2. Not Pretending

**Title:** P.S. I Love You  
**Author:** Ugly.Beautiful  
**Genre:** Romance  
**Rating:** K+ (It's just prolonged NakaMizu fluff. Because I like them best. XP) (But there are a few curse words. Oops.)  
**Pairing:** Nakatsu x Mizuki  
**Spoilers:** Yes, for the entire end of the manga. I don't know how much of it's out in the old U.S. of A, but if you haven't read the whole darn thing, then read no further.  
**Summary:** "Know this: I would marry you yesterday."  
**Word Count:** 1,757  
**Warnings:** This takes place post-manga, though exactly how far after the end of the manga, I'm unsure. The last chapter says three summers have passed since Sano left for America. So, they'd be… 20? Something like that. I think. :confused: So, this is after that. Since Rie was two-months pregnant then, when she got married. Yeah. Or something… In this story, that child is already two-years old. So Mizuki's class are all about 22.

**Disclaimer:** The summery quote belongs to _Music From Another Room_ and Charlie Peters. _Hana-Kimi: For You In Full Blossom_ belongs to Hisaya Nakajo.

* * *

How long did it take a letter to get from Japan to America?

Nakatsu frowned angrily to himself. It have been… a month? Something like a month, since he had sent his letter to Mizuki. It had to have gotten there by now. I mean, a month was plenty of time for her to have sent a letter back, too, wasn't it?

Cue Nakatsu panicking.

Maybe she thought he was being too forward? What the hell had he been thinking, writing that stupid P.S. on there? (Besides, of course, that he _did_ love her?). Maybe she never wanted to talk to him ever again, because she thought he was crazy for holding onto that stupid crush he had on her for so long. Or… maybe Sano had read the letter and was so angry he locked Mizuki in the house so he could keep her all to himself and even at this moment he was on his way to Japan to give Nakatsu a what-for and…

Okay, maybe he was going a little overboard there.

He sighed as the elevator doors opened on his floor, running a hand through his already messy hair. He was going to have a nervous breakdown and he was barely twenty. Great.

But still, what if she _was_ mad at him? He could deal with loving her and her not knowing, at least he got to talk to her and be friends. But what if she never wanted to speak to him ever again. He didn't… he didn't know what he'd do.

He had just stuck his key into his door when he heard someone shouting his name and looked up to see his neighbor from a few doors down hurrying towards him.

"Nakatsu-san," the disheveled brunet panted when he reached the blond. "Here," he continued, holding out an envelope to him. "This was in my mailbox by mistake." He grinned. "All the way from America!"

In retrospect, Nakatsu figured maybe he shouldn't have snatched the letter out of the man's hand and ran into his apartment, slamming the door in his startled face. He wondered if his neighbor could hear the hastily called, "thank-you," he shouted over his shoulder at his closed door. He shrugged. Oh well. He only knew one person in America who would write to him.

Mizuki.

All but tearing the letter open, he threw the empty envelope somewhere in the general direction of the trashcan and flopped onto his couch, both dreading and looking forward to reading the letter.

_Dear _(something was crossed out here)_ Shuichi,  
__I… don't know what to say. To almost anything you wrote really. It's all a lot to think about. I mean, except for the thing about Sekime-san and Rei-san's baby (thanks for telling them) and your soccer match (congratulations).  
__About, my wedding… Do you really think two years is too long to wait. I love Izumi, I do, I just, never thought I'd have to wait this long, you know? Once he proposed, I thought I'd get my fairytale ending, the one I'd been dreaming about since the first time I saw him jump. But now… it seems like I'm always waiting.  
__I mean, I brought up Sekime-san and Rei-san and Izumi just said that not everyone has the time to get married and start a family while they're in school, and that, didn't I want to see him high jump anymore?_

Nakatsu frowned. That… was kind of rude of him.

_But it's not fair to but the blame on me for this, is it? I'm not a bad person for thinking it's not my fault, right? Besides, it's not like Izumi would be the one who would be pregnant, it's not like that would slow down his career at all. I don't think. Maybe he doesn't want children. I suppose that's possible. But when you see him with Shin-san, he always seems like he'd be a good dad. He could at least tell me if he doesn't want kids. Even though I do. Maybe that's why he's delaying the wedding?_

Nataktsu's frown deepened. He was pretty sure Sano wanted kids, so there went that theory of hers, it was a good try though. If he didn't know any better, he'd say Sano was just getting cold feet. But from the way Mizuki put it, he was getting pulled into the high-pressured life of pro-sports and was becoming one of those career-driven athletes that are always on the news for some reason or another.

_As for some of the other things you wrote… Nakatsu… Shuichi, I don't know what to say. I honestly can't believe you still feel that way about me. I thought that was just some stupid High School crush. But, you'd marry me? You shouldn't joke about things like that. It's… not funny.  
__Maybe I should stay here after graduation?  
_(something here was scratched out so hard there was almost a hole in the paper)  
_With love,  
__Mizuki._

Nakatsu sat up so he could set the letter on his coffee table before covering his face with shaking hands. How was he going to fix this?

It took him a good twenty minutes before he forced himself to go find a blank piece of paper and a pen. And another ten minutes, during which he stared at the paper blankly, before he started writing.

_Dear Mizuki,  
__See, was calling me Shuichi really so hard? I'm actually surprised you wrote me back at all. I thought you'd be mad at me forever for… everything I wrote.  
__And yes, Mizuki, two years is too long for an engagement. Especially when everyone can see that you two love each other. Everyone remembers how happy you were at Sekime and Rei-san's wedding when Sano proposed. You guys were like the poster couple for happiness. And I'm not saying that that's changed. Maybe it hasn't. But it seems to me, Sano is spending too much time thinking about his career. If he loved you, it wouldn't matter what he was doing, as long as you were with him. That's what I think anyway. He should be happy just to be with you.  
__You shouldn't let Sano talk to you like that. You're the reason he's high jumping anyway, __of course__ you want to see him jump. Just not at the expense of the rest of your life, right? And don't you dare let him turn this around so it seems like it's your fault. This is __his __fault, Mizuki. And you need to either sit him down and __make__ him tell you why he's waiting so long (and make him give you a good reason, too, not something stupid, like anything that involves the words, "my career") or let him go so you can move on to someone else.  
__And don't think that that's just me trying to… I don't know, pick you up or something, because it's not. I just want to see you happy, no matter who you're with. Sano, hell, if you were happy with that idiot Nanba, I'd be okay, just as long as you're happy. And maybe he doesn't want kids, but I don't think that's the problem. Besides, I don't think you'd be happy without at least a few kids, yeah?_

Here's where things got tricky. Nakatsu has two choices. He could play off what he wrote in the last letter as a joke that just wasn't funny. Or he could go with it, tell the truth, finally get these feelings off his chest. He took a deep breath.

_I've always felt this way about you Mizuki, since almost the first time I saw you, even when I thought you were a guy, when you at first transferred to Osaka. It's not a joke, I promise. I don't know what to say to make you believe me, except only to tell you that it's true and to beg you not to hate me for it. It's not like I can help it, you know? But I wouldn't change the way I feel even if I could.  
__I really hope this doesn't change your mind about coming to visit in the Spring. I'd… really like to see you again, even if it is just as friends. The way I feel doesn't have to change anything between us Mizuki. After all, we stayed friends after I followed you around at school like a stray puppy, didn't we?  
__Please come visit me?  
__-Shuichi_

The pen hovered over the page for a split second before he signed it the same way he did last time.

_P.S. I love you._

**

* * *

**

**A/N: **Wow, this took a long time. My bad. My dad went on vacation so I had to work double shifts at the business. Then _I _went on vacation. Then I had this crazy-problem signing up for Fall classes. I swear I was on the phone with my college for like five days straight. Freakin-a.

Anyways, just to let you know, the point of this story-thing is to get Mizuki to love Nakatsu through the letters (or to realize she's got some hidden feelings deep, deep down there, after all, Nakatsu _did_ confess his undying-love for her when he thought she was a guy, even Sano didn't do that). So I'm not gonna do them meeting. At least, it won't be a main thing. Maybe an extra chapter or something so I can work in some in-person-fluffiness.

And as always, read and review!


	3. Call

**Title:** P.S. I Love You  
**Author:** Ugly.Beautiful  
**Genre:** Romance  
**Rating:** K+ (It's just prolonged NakaMizu fluff. Because I like them best. XP) (But there are a few curse words. Oops.)  
**Pairing:** Nakatsu x Mizuki  
**Spoilers:** Yes, for the entire end of the manga. I don't know how much of it's out in the old U.S. of A, but if you haven't read the whole darn thing, then read no further.  
**Summary:** "Know this: I would marry you yesterday."  
**Word Count:** 1,021  
**Warnings:** This takes place post-manga, though exactly how far after the end of the manga, I'm unsure. The last chapter says three summers have passed since Sano left for America. So, they'd be… 20? Something like that. I think. :confused: So, this is after that. Since Rie was two-months pregnant then, when she got married. Yeah. Or something… In this story, that child is already two-years old. So Mizuki's class are all about 22.

**Disclaimer:** The summery quote belongs to _Music From Another Room_ and Charlie Peters. _Hana-Kimi: For You In Full Blossom_ belongs to Hisaya Nakajo.

* * *

After biting his nails for weeks, awaiting her letter, Nakatsu was almost afraid to open it once he held the envelope in his hands.

_Almost afraid?_ He snorted, staring at the paper. Who was he kidding? He was absolutely _terrified_ to open it and read what was written there. But… he wasn't called the 'Burning Lion' in High School because he was a coward. So, with trembling fingers, he forced himself to open the letter.

And stared completely numbly at the shortest letter he had ever read.

_Dear Shuichi-  
__Call me, 555-2437.  
__Love, Mizuki._

Call… her…?

The thought had honestly never crossed his mind. Though he supposed it should have, seeing as how life-altering these letters were becoming. It seemed like a completely logical course of action. But, even after calculating the time in America and deciding it wasn't too late to call her, he must have stared at the cell phone in his hands for at least ten minutes, before he scrapped together enough courage to actually dial.

As it rang, he prayed Sano didn't answer. He missed his old schoolmate, sure. But he wasn't too pleased with the way his friend was treating Mizuki right now. And also, he had no idea what he'd say to Sano should he answer. _Can I speak with you fiancée? … Why? … Well, I'm kinda trying to talk her out of marrying you… yeah, is that okay?…_ Yeah, that would go over well.

"Hello?"

Nakatsu sighed contently. Both because it was not Sano's voice on the other end of the phone. And because the sound of Mizuki's soft voice actually sent a thrill all the way to his toes.

"… I got your letter."

There was a pause as she registered the voice (maybe he should have greeted her first?). "Na- Shuichi?"

"Mm," he agreed, glad he had finally gotten her to say his name. "Hey."

"H-hey."

A pause as both tried to decide on what to say. "Did you," he swallowed around a tongue that suddenly felt like sandpaper. "Did you need to tell me something?" He hoped she didn't want to never speak to him again, he didn't know what he'd do.

"I…" She paused. "I called off the engagement."

Nakatsu blinked. "Mizuki… if you did this because of something I said-"

"No wait! I, um, well, I thought about what you said -wrote- a lot. And I… I love Izumi, but I can't, I don't want…" She trailed off and Nakatsu could imagine the frustrated look on her face.

"You don't want to play second-best to high-jumping…" He said tentatively. "Am I right?"

"I… yes." The answer was so quiet he could barely here it. "I… I told him I wasn't going to wait anymore. I want to get _married_ Na- Shuichi. I'm just not sure I want to get married to Izumi anymore."

Nakatsu was silent for a long time, before falling back onto his couch and staring at his ceiling. "Don't make a choice like this because of me."

"But-"

"Wait." He sighed, rubbing his hand over his face. "You've been in love with Sano for… well, forever. And, if he makes you happy, well, you should stay with him. Even if you gotta wait a while, you know?"

"Yeah, I guess… But, Shuichi… what should I do?"

Did Fate really hate him enough to make him answer this question? Apparently so, because he found himself answering honestly, even though what he really wanted to tell her was to just marry him. "I think you should give him a time frame. If he can't get a move on by whenever-it-is, I… I think you should find someone new." _Like me_, he added silently.

"… So I should… give him a second chance?"

Nakatsu sighed. "Yeah."

"Alright, I'll-" She broke off suddenly and the phone took on that muffled quality that meant she had her hand over the mouthpiece and was talking to someone else. "Okay, Izumi just got home from practice, so I… I'll just go then. Thanks… Shuichi."

"N-no problem. Ands Mizuki. I…" He hesitated, but continued. If he could say it in High School when he thought she was a guy, he could do it over the phone damn it! "I love you."

The next moment seemed to stretch on forever and the words Mizuki uttered before hanging up rang loudly in his ears. "… I know."

* * *

**A/N:** Yeah, so there wasn't really a "_P.S._ I love you" in this chapter, but… they got to talk on the phone! XP

1. Totally made up that phone number, obviously. And yes, I left out the area code, because I have no idea what to put. Except maybe more 5's.  
2. Yes, Mizuki and Sano live together. For now.  
3. Because Nakatsu is THAT nice. He gave up on her in High School when he saw she was happy with Sano, so yes, I think he would tell he to give Sano a second choice.

And sorry about the wait. Damn _Bleach_ and it's hold on my mind!


	4. One Month

**Title:** P.S. I Love You  
**Genre:** Romance  
**Rating:** K+ (It's just prolonged NakaMizu fluff. Because I like them best. XP) (But there are a few curse words. Oops.)  
**Pairing:** Nakatsu x Mizuki  
**Spoilers:** Yes, for the entire end of the manga. I don't know how much of it's out in the old U.S. of A, but if you haven't read the whole darn thing, then read no further.  
**Summary:** "Know this: I would marry you yesterday."  
**Word Count:** 820  
**Warnings:** This takes place post-manga, though exactly how far after the end of the manga, I'm unsure. The last chapter says three summers have passed since Sano left for America. So, they'd be… 20? Something like that. I think. ::confused:: So, this is after that. Since Rie was two-months pregnant then, when she got married. Yeah. Or something… In this story, that child is already two-years old. So Mizuki's class are all about 22.

**Disclaimer:** The summery quote belongs to _Music From Another Room_ and Charlie Peters. _Hana-Kimi: For You In Full Blossom_ belongs to Hisaya Nakajo.

* * *

The letter that Nakatsu received about a week after his phone conversation with Mizuki stamped as priority shipping, was opened with confusion. What could be so important?

_Dear Shuichi,  
__I gave Izumi a month. One month, to decide to marry me before the end of the year. And if he can't… I told him I was leaving. I didn't mention you Shuichi, I know you two are friends and didn't want you guys to argue over me, so don't worry about that.  
__And I… I want to thank-you. I never would have had the courage to do this if it weren't for you, and I might never have gotten married. So thank-you, no matter how everything turns out, thank-you.  
__I'll get in touch with you when Izumi makes his decision, all right?  
__With love,  
__Mizuki_

Nakatsu sighed, shaking his head and smiling softly. He ruins her engagement and she thanks him. Not only that, she tells him not to worry about her ex-fiancé being made at him. Mizuki really was something else. She had a heart of gold. Which was probably why she spent so long engaged to someone and throwing aside her happiness for his. She forwent her desire for marriage in order to make Sano happy. There was no one in the world that kind, that sweet, that… pure-hearted. Which was part of the reason Nakatsu loved her.

Reaching into a drawer and grabbing something to write on and a pen, he leaned against the counter, tapping the pen aimlessly on the marble surface as he thought about what to write.

_Dear Mizuki,  
__Well, I hope everything works out for you then. Hopefully old Sano will see what he's giving up and realize that high-jumping isn't worth it, even if he's great, if it comes at the cost of loosing you.  
__And Mizuki… I don't really care if Sano is mad at me, it's not something that really bothers me. I told you before it's not right to make you wait so long to get married. That pretty much means I'm not too happy with him. I haven't actually talked to him in… a while. Maybe when this is all over and done with, whether you marry him or not, I'll talk to him and sort everything out. But until then… I'm going to have to side with you.  
__And you're welcome, but, you know you don't have to thank me, right? I told you to do something about the engagement because I care about you. You don't have to thank me for that, it's just something I'll do.  
__I'll be waiting to here how everything goes.  
__And, as always, love you.  
__Shuichi._

After he sent the letter, he stared at his ceiling, arms folded behind his head, feet crossed at the ankles, wondering how the hell his life had led him here. He thought that, once Sano proposed to Mizuki, the pair of them would have been married faster than you can blink. And he would have been happy for her, happy for _them_. And now look at where they all were.

-

A week went by, then another. Then, as Nakatsu stared woefully at the broom and contemplated on how much he did _not_ want to sweep, his doorbell rang. A grin spilt his face as he found an excuse not to do his household chores and he bounded over, wondering which teammate had come over and what excuse they had to drink.

"Hey!" He cried, reaching out to fling open the door. "What's… up…" He trailed off, eyes flying wide open in shock and his jaw dropped.

Standing in his door way, wearing mismatched clothes, hair everywhere, with two suitcases and a book bag, and tears streaming down blotchy, red cheeks…

… was Mizuki.

* * *

**A/N:** dun, dun, DUN!

And yes, short. Criminally short. But I had to stop it here, or it would have been the _last_ chapter. And it wouldn't have flowed the way I wanted it to.

Probably only a chapter left. Maybe two.

And not spelled check. Point out my numerous mistakes so I can come back and fix them after finals.


	5. Okay

**Title:** P.S. I Love You  
**Genre:** Romance  
**Rating:** K+ (It's just prolonged NakaMizu fluff. Because I like them best. XP) (But there are a few curse words. Oops.)  
**Pairing:** Nakatsu x Mizuki  
**Spoilers:** Yes, for the entire end of the manga. I don't know how much of it's out in the old U.S. of A, but if you haven't read the whole darn thing, then read no further.  
**Summary:** "Know this: I would marry you yesterday."  
**Word Count:** 830

**Warnings:** This takes place post-manga, though exactly how far after the end of the manga, I'm unsure. The last chapter says three summers have passed since Sano left for America. So, they'd be… 20? Something like that. I think. ::confused:: So, this is after that. Since Rie was two-months pregnant then, when she got married. Yeah. Or something… In this story, that child is already two-years old. So Mizuki's class are all about 22.

**Disclaimer:** The summery quote belongs to _Music From Another Room_ and Charlie Peters. _Hana-Kimi: For You In Full Blossom_ belongs to Hisaya Nakajo.

* * *

Mizuki started crying again the moment she saw him and Nakatsu quickly ushered her into his apartment as he saw his neighbor's doors start to open.

"Mizuki," he said, taking her bags and leading her to the couch. "Mizuki, what…" He gestured helplessly. "What happened?"

For a moment, she looked like she had regained some control of her emotions. "Izumi left!" She cried, before breaking down and sobbing into her hands again.

He tried to comfort her, but really what could he do but put an arm around her and be a shoulder to cry on? He could tell her that Sano was an idiot. A really _big_ idiot if he was seriously leaving Mizuki. But she already knew that he thought that. He could tell her that it was going to be okay, but he didn't know that, couldn't say it for sure.

"He said," she hiccupped, "he said that _I_ was the one who wanted him to start high-jumping again. And- and what was the point if- if- if he didn't try to r-reach the top?" And then she was crying in earnest again.

Nakatsu was at a loss, he didn't deal with emotionally distraught women on a regular basis. But he figured a warm cup of tea couldn't hurt, so he got up and made one as fast as he could.

When he came back, he saw she had stopped crying and was turned sideways on his couch so she could look at the pictures hanging over it.

"I miss those days," he said, when he saw her staring at a picture of their dorm from Osaka.

She turned when he sat down beside her, giving him a watery smile. "Yeah, I wish we could have stayed there forever."

"Aw, but then I might never have realized you were a girl," he said, flashing her a grin, before he held out a paper towel so she could wipe the tears off her face. "Here."

"Thanks." After scrubbing at her cheeks and gratefully taking a sip of tea, she sighed. "But you loved me anyway, didn't you?"

"Hm?"

"When you thought I was a boy," she clarified. "You still told me you loved me."

His face blushing a sudden red, Nakatsu turned away in embarrassment. "Yeah, well, I loved you, and that was that." He looked back at her and grinned, trying to ignore his red face. "You know?" He blinked when Mizuki just stared at him, eyes large and expressive, and just _staring_. "What?"

"Can I… can I try something?"

He was thrown off by the uncharacteristically serious look on her face. "Uhhh… sure. I- I guess."

"And you won't be mad, right?"

He laughed lightly. "Mizuki, I could never be mad at- mmph!"

His sentence abruptly cut off, his eyes flew open in shock when Mizuki suddenly leaned forward and pressed her lips to his. She was gone just as quickly and Nakatsu found himself staring at her in astonishment, eyes wide, jaw slack, and just plain dumbstruck.

Mizuki blushed. "I'm sorry! I just… I just wanted to know… to know what it was like to, um," she glanced away from him. "To kiss someone who would… love me no matter what… I'm sorry."

Shaking his head both to clear it and will away the insistent flush on his cheeks, Nakatsu grabbed her by the arm and yanked her towards him, crushing her against his chest as he hugged her. He could feel her gasp of surprise as he held her there, resting his chin on top of her soft hair. "Don't be sorry Mizuki, don't _ever_ be sorry."

Leaning back slightly so he could look her in the face, sincerity shining in his eyes. He smiled, hesitantly, eyes bright. "I love you, Mizuki. I've loved you for a long time, I've dreamed about kissing for _forever_."

"I-"

"Wait, let me finish." This was really hard to say. What he really wanted to do was press his mouth to hers and hold her tight and never let her go, never stop kissing her, and never stop telling her that he loved her. But, he thought, maybe it was a little too soon for that. "I would love nothing more than to have you kiss me, but… I think you need some time to get over Sano."

Her eyes were downcast. "Sorry."

"Hey now," he said, a smile in his voice as he tipped her chin up with one of his hands, forcing her to look at him. "Don't be like that. I'll tell you what. I don't have a roommate, so why don't you stay here until Sano's time is up. _Then_," he said, slightly louder, when she would have interrupted, "then we'll," he swallowed thickly, "we'll see about… about us. Okay?"

She stared up at him, his beseeching eyes looking down at her, smiling even though she could tell he was nervous about her answer, about the situation in general, and she smiled back. "Okay."

**

* * *

**

**A/N:** Firstly**,** my bad about the wait and the ridiculously short chapter. Holidays suck the life out of me. Lol.

And also, I lied, _now_ there's two more chapters. I think. Probably. Most likely. Yeah.


	6. Together

**Title:** P.S. I Love You  
**Genre:** Romance  
**Rating:** K+ (It's just prolonged NakaMizu fluff. Because I like them best. XP) (But there are a few curse words. Oops.)  
**Pairing:** Nakatsu x Mizuki  
**Spoilers:** Yes, for the entire end of the manga. I don't know how much of it's out in the old U.S. of A, but if you haven't read the whole darn thing, then read no further.  
**Summary:** "Know this: I would marry you yesterday."  
**Word Count:** 1,876  
**Warnings:** This takes place post-manga, though exactly how far after the end of the manga, I'm unsure. The last chapter says three summers have passed since Sano left for America. So, they'd be… 20? Something like that. I think. ::confused:: So, this is after that. Since Rie was two-months pregnant then, when she got married. Yeah. Or something… In this story, that child is already two-years old. So Mizuki's class are all about 22.

**Disclaimer:** The summery quote belongs to _Music From Another Room_ and Charlie Peters. _Hana-Kimi: For You In Full Blossom_ belongs to Hisaya Nakajo.

* * *

One week passed, then two, and then it was a month since Mizuki had shown up crying on his doorstep. It seemed like such a short amount of time, yet, at the same time, it seemed like they had been living like this forever.

It amazed him everyday how well they fit together, how easily they had synched their daily lives with each others. How Mizuki still remembered exactly how Nakatsu took his tea and how he could recite all her favorite foods, and make them for her. How seamlessly they rotated chores or any other aspect of their lives together. He wondered if she and Sano had fit together like this, like puzzle pieces, he wanted to ask her, but couldn't, didn't want to upset her if it wasn't true, didn't want to upset himself if it _was_.

How could any two people in the world be as perfect together as they were, he wondered, as he entered the apartment to Mizuki's brightly smiling face. This must be like what marriage was. Coming home to the same woman, knowing that each day you loved her more and more, knowing that you never wanted to see anyone else in the kitchen washing dishes, that hers was the first and last face you wanted to see each day, every day, until the day you died.

It would kill him to give this up.

What if she decided that she wanted to move on, more on her own, wanted to live on her own, away from him, or worse, what if she decided that the kiss was just a mistake, hormones, or something, and that she didn't want to be with him _that way_. What if she-

The ringing of the doorbell broke him out of his thoughts and when Mizuki glanced over his shoulder towards the door, he shooed her away and told her that he would get it.

"Can I… help… you…?" The smile brightening his face as he swung open the door slowly faded as he stared in absolute shock.

"Hey, Nakatsu. Is Mizuki here?"

"Who's at the door… Shuichi…" Mizuki's voice trailed off as she peered over his shoulder, curios as to why he was standing there so stiffly; the smile froze on her face.

"Hey, Mizuki," the visitor greeted, with a half-smile.

"H-hey, I-Izumi."

Nakatsu blinked, closing his mouth, which had fallen open in shock, and stepped to the side, taking Mizuki gently by the arm and pulling her with him. "Come on in, man."

Stepping over the threshold, Sano glanced around, as silent and stoic as Nakatsu remembered him from High School. Well, maybe he hadn't exactly been _stoic_, but he hadn't been a Chatty Cathy, either. And time certainly hadn't improved his verbal skills. Nakatsu watched as dark eyes took in the apartment with interest.

The kitchen, off to the right, with pots and pans set out, since Mizuki was in the middle of making dinner, something that was starting to resemble sukiyaki, which Sano remembered as one of Nakatsu's favorite foods. But there was a bowl of candy next to the stove and Sano knew for a fact that Mizuki usually munched on something sweet while she cooked. The living room was littered with evidence that the two of them were comfortable with each other. The end-table on one side was filled with sports magazines, the one on the other side filled with dog training books. A sports bag and a soccer ball were on the floor. He could see the pictures on the wall behind the couch, and could see pictures that he knew belonged to Mizuki had been stuck randomly into frames. A picture of her brother, of her family back home, of her and Julia, of her and Yujiro, even one of her and Sano. And several that he could tell had been taken recently, of her and Mizuki out eating ice cream, with Nakatsu's soccer team, at some sort of festival.

He sighed, eyes vacant. They seemed to get along… well.

It reminded him of the beginning of his relationship with Mizuki. She'd have dinner cooking and they'd eat together. When they'd go on dates and had time to just… be a couple.

And then his career had taken off and suddenly, it seemed like there was no time for the two of them to be alone anymore. He was always training, or a press conferences, or meetings, or competitions. And before he knew it, they'd drifted farther and farther apart. It wasn't as if he wanted it to happen, but… it did.

And then, Mizuki was suddenly confronting him about it, looking angrier than he could ever remember seeing her, almost yelling, even as tears filled her eyes, asking if he still wanted to get married, asking if he was taking so long because he didn't love her anymore. He'd tried to tell her that wasn't true, but then… then she'd said something that stopped him dead.

"Shu- Well, I think if you loved me, you'd want to marry me."

"I…"

"No, Izumi. Let me finish, please." She took a deep breath, squaring her shoulders. "I think that, we should get married before the end of the year, I'll give you a month to make a decision. If you say no, I… I'm leaving."

She had walked out then, going to work, and Sano had sat down on the floor right where he stood. She would… leave? But… he… they…

For a while they'd lived in a short of daze together. Until one day a few weeks later when Sano's manager had told him he'd been asked to train for the Olympics with a group of select individuals. And the first thought in his mind wasn't Mizuki, it wasn't their marital problems, it was how hard he had worked to get here.

And that's when he realized that… he didn't need Mizuki anymore. Well, not in a mean manner, but he didn't need her by his side anymore. He still loved her, but… he wasn't _in love_ with her. He… he didn't want to marry her anymore. He wanted to love her with that same affection he felt from back in High School, wanted to feel those same feelings that made him try everything to make her happy. But, they'd changed, matured, grown up since those days. They weren't the same anymore. And neither were their feelings.

And when he told her, he didn't know who was more upset, her… or him.

Standing in their living room (because it was theirs, there was no escaping that), he felt at peace. Mizuki could be happy here, and that's what he wanted for her, her happiness.

"Ummm… Izumi…" Mizuki said softly. "What… what are you doing here?"

He turned around, smiling at her gently. "I came to see you." He glanced down at Nakatsu's hold on her wrist, protective, loving, the same as always. "To see how you were doing."

"Haven't you done enough, Sano?" Nakatsu asked bluntly.

Holding up his hands in a sign of surrender, he said, "Calm down, Nakatsu, I'm not here to take her back."

"You… you're not?"

He winced at the hurt in her voice. But, even as he opened his mouth to tell her what he told her before, that _she_ got him back into high-jumping, and it was _her_ that made him want to reach the top… he just, got caught up in it, and had… changed along the way. But she was already speaking.

"Actually, I didn't think you'd come here at all. What, with your hard training schedule and all."

He smiled back. "I'm never too busy for you, Mizuki."

"Seemed like it before," Nakatsu muttered angrily.

Mizuki shushed him, sliding her wrist from his grasp.

"He's right, Mizuki. Back then, I was too busy for you, and… I'm sorry."

She was still smiling, stepping forward to stand in front of him. "No, you were just too busy for a marriage _and_ your dream. And… you know what? I'm okay with that now." She glanced backwards at a pouting Nakatsu and her smile grew softer, tenderer, and Sano could see how much she had come to care for him in the past month. "Shuichi… helped."

"I can see that."

When she glanced back and him, and saw that he had caught her staring, her face flushed, and she lowered her eyes, embarrassed.

Sano laughed lightly at her. Still as cute as ever. "I just came to apologize, see if you were alright. But, I can see you're doing fine." He glanced from her to the man behind her, then back, his smile widening. "I'm in Japan for some staff meetings, so… maybe we can… meet for lunch or something?"

"Yeah," she said with a smile, "I'd like that."

Nakatsu huffed when she gave him a hug, leaving them there and walking away.

After Mizuki saw Sano to the door, she followed Nakatsu's steps to his room, where he sat on the edge of his bed, cradling his head in his hands.

"Shuichi?"

"Not going out with Sano?"

Her eyes widened. He was jealous! She smiled, walking over to sit next to him. "Shuichi." He didn't say anything. "Shuichi, look at me." He did so, grudgingly lifting his head to stare at her, eyes filled with jealousy and sadness, like he honestly thought she would leave him. "Do you remember what you told me when I first come here?" His brows furrowed as he thought about it. "You told me," she continued, staring down at her hands, "that I needed time to get over Izumi, and that we should wait until the time limit I gave him was up. It's past that time limit and… well, I've had enough time to think about everything."

He sat up to stare at her, both wanting and not wanting her to finish.

"I've realized that… Izumi… he is very dear to me, and, he probably always will be, I was in love with him for a long time, but… people change, and well," she looked up at him, smiling brightly, "he's not the one I love, like that, anymore."

"What are you…"

"You have always been there for me, Shuichi, ever since I met you. You've always been supportive of me, open about your feelings for me, and, I have the feeling that if I told you to stop playing soccer, you'd do it."

"Of course I would! I would-"

She held up her hand. "The point it, to Izumi, high-jumping is everything to him, and, well, I _am_ the one who wanted him to get back into it, it'd be wrong to make him stop, he love it so much. And I know what you're going to say," she said over his interruption, "that if he loves me, he'd stop, but, if I love him, shouldn't I want him to be happy. By letting him go, we can both be happy; we can find new people to love."

"Mizuki…?"

"And I… I already found my new person."

Nakatsu blushed bright red as she leaned forward, closer to him.

"Oh, and p.s.," she said with a grin, cheeks a faint pink, "I love you." And then she pressed her lips to his.

**

* * *

**

**A/N:** Apologies all around! School, school, school-y, school! Yes, indeed-y, it is taking up, well, pretty much ALL of my time, so, that explains the ridiculously long wait. So I apologize for how long you waited for such a sappy chapter.

It wound up being a lot from Sano's perspective, because I wanted people to see what he was thinking. I don't _dislike_ him, so I didn't want him to be all, "High-jumping is more important than you. Get lost." This way, it's more plausible, or, at least, more Real Life applicable. People do change. As I am being taught in Psych right now.

And the ending is sappy enough to cause cavities, and I apologize for that. Also, just an epilogue left, I think.

Oh! And question for _lightblue muffin_, since you normally just read the Sana x Mizuki stories, can I ask why you decided to read mine? And why, for some strange reason, you like it? It's hard (like, impossible) to get me to read stories with pairings I don't really care for, and I'm just wondering why you like mine? ^.^V


End file.
